Digital 3D printing advance enables on-demand custom microfluidics

Oct 23, 2023 (Nanowerk Spotlight) Microfluidics, the science of manipulating tiny amounts of fluid in micro-scale devices, has long held promise for revolutionizing fields like medical diagnostics, chemistry, and biology research. But the specialized manufacturing techniques traditionally required to produce microfluidic chips have limited their widespread use. Now, researchers at...

new biomaterial hits the sweet spot

Oct 23, 2023 (Nanowerk News) Scientists at UNSW Sydney have created a new material that could change the way human tissue can be grown in the lab and used in medical procedures. Key Takeaways Scientists have developed a new hydrogel, named Trpzip, that mimics the properties of natural human tissue,...

A review of energy supplies for biomachine hybrid robots

Oct 22, 2023 (Nanowerk News) A recent review from the Beijing Institute of Technology categorizes energy supply methods into five types: chemical batteries, solar cells, biofuel cells, bio-thermal harvesters, and bio-vibration harvesters. Key Takeaways Bio-machine hybrid robots (BHRs) combine biological and artificial systems, offering superior mobility and lower energy demands...

Cobalt-free battery for cleaner, greener power

Oct 21, 2023 (Nanowerk News) High-capacity and reliable rechargeable batteries are a critical component of many devices and even modes of transport. They play a key role in the shift to a greener world. A wide variety of elements are used in their production, including cobalt, the production of which...

3D micro-ice printing for medical applications

Oct 21, 2023 (Nanowerk News) When Carnegie Mellon’s Manufacturing Futures Institute (MFI) issues its annual call for proposals each fall, it makes clear its objectives for offering seed funding to groups of CMU faculty whose research is aligned with MFI’s mission to inspire, engineer, and lead technological and workforce advances...